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Such liberalisation comes the risk of these new entrants conducting less than ethical business practises that were impossible for a state controlled monopoly; and so with liberalisation comes a new wave of regulation.

A fact of the telecom's industry is that all new entrants have had to resell all or part of the incumbent monopolys infrastructure. However, by using the Internet and the unbundled local broadband loop, VoIP is a technology that will allow a new breed of telecom operator that has no recall to the incumbent monopoly other than to interconnect with it to pass traffic between each other.

VoIP, therefore has attracted the attention of regulators, and from a European-wide perspective, the issue is that this attention varies from country to country. Each National Regulatory Authority has a different view. According to a recent survey conducted by networking technology company Spirent Communications, the international Engineering Consortium and Total telecom magazine, twenty per cent of European telecoms executives said that government regulation is the biggest threat to VoIP, meanwhile 84 per cent believe the technology is ready for widespread deployment.

According to a Gartner report in January 2006, no common approach has so far been adopted among National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) for the delivery of voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) across Europe. In some countries, the service is treated as being equivalent to a regular circuit-switched telephone connection, while in others, it is considered more as a data service. Until a common approach is implemented, VoIP service providers will be unable to deliver common service platforms across multiple countries, removing one of the key opportunities enabled by the underlying technology that of cross-national competition.

The survey found that NRAs have resisted developing specific policies or regulations concerning VoIP. While no one has an appetite to aggressively regulate this technology, changes will need to happen to accommodate the rapid move in consumer and business use patterns. Gartner believes that with VoIP and other IP-enabled or electronic communications service (ECS) maturing, end users are often unaware that protection and statutory rights are not the same with VoIP services as for switched voice.

Therefore, Gartner concludes, VoIP will force broad regulatory changes, because voice telephony is being redefined. IP not only affects the pricing of voice services, but also changes the way voice services and features are ordered, provisioned, delivered, marketed and regulated. As a result, the inevitable regulatory changes will add cost to the provisioning of IP-enabled services, thus closing the end-user price advantage currently enjoyed by VoIP services.

As regards the UK market specifically, under the Communications Act of 2003 Ofcoms primary regulatory control on the VoIP market is to police a code of conduct for providers of a pubic telephony service over whatever technology to consumers and small business. (As for big business, caveat emptor.) This code of practise deals with the business process as opposed to the underlying technology and, as far as the consumer is concerned, is all that is required.

To quote from Clause 52 of The Act itself:

(2) Those matters are-
(a) the handling of complaints made to public communications providers by any of their domestic and small business customers;
(b) the resolution of disputes between such providers and any of their domestic and small business customers;
(c) the provision of remedies and redress in respect of matters that form the subject-matter of such complaints or disputes;
(d) the information about service standards and about the rights of domestic and small business customers that is to be made available to those customers by public communications providers;
(e) any other matter appearing to OFCOM to be necessary for securing effective protection for the domestic and small business customers of such providers.

VegaStreams position regarding regulating the VoIP industry is similar to that of OfComs. The application is straightforward the ability to enable people to talk to each other over a telecommunications network. With VegaStream gateways this network can contain both IP and TDM elements and that fact is completely transparent to the end. Regulators should therefore continue to refine their ability to protect the consumer against bad business practise and ensure that the innovators within the VoIP industry can bring the full benefits of this technology to business and consumers alike.

Formed in 1998, VegaStream is one of the most experienced players in the industrial VoIP market. The company supplies gateway CPE to both traditional telecommunications carriers and the new generation of Internet telephony service providers. VegaStream also serves the enterprise market through a global network of distributors and resellers supported by regional offices in the UK, USA and Australia. VegaStream is a non-listed UK company. Investors include the management team, Pace Micro Technology PLC and MTI Partners. http://www.vegastream.com

posted by 83212  # 9:41 PM 0 comments

When leaks develop in your water pipes it not only can be a major headache for you to have someone come and fix, but can also be the source of potential water contamination in your pipes. The pipes that carry your fresh water supply can be affected but so can the pipes that carry away the waste water from your home. Usually starting out as barely noticeable areas of dampness in your ceilings or on your walls that you may overlook in your daily living, some leaks can even go unnoticed for many weeks or even months. When you finally come across any sort of dampness or discoloration in your paint or wallpaper, do not hesitate or ignore it. This sort of thing could quickly lead to a problem in your water system that could bring contamination into your home and to your family.

water-borne diseases can wreak havoc on your familys health and all it takes to help prevent it is to visually inspect your homes water system once in awhile to make sure there are not any leaks. Any sort of leaks in your pipes or joints can allow contaminants to enter into your water supply system and infect your family with all manner of water-borne illnesses. Having your water supply contaminated will make it unsafe to drink and will require you to take immediate actions to clear it up.

Every year thousands of people end up in hospitals due to being exposed to contaminated water supplies within their homes. However, it is not only private homes that are at risk of water supply contamination; businesses and public institutions such as hospitals and seniors homes are often the site of water contamination problems. Sometimes the problem is contaminated drinking water supply and other times it is a problem with airborne contaminants brought on by mildew and mould created by the leaks dampness. It cannot be stated strongly enough that many of these water problems can be prevented by simply taking the time to inspect your water supply to make sure it is safe.

Apartment Living at Its Finest

People who live in apartments have a different sort of problem than anyone who owns their own home. It is not always easy for apartment dwellers to inspect the water supply system in the building, as it is far more complex and extensive than the system of pipes in a normal home. However, if you happen to notice any sort of difference in the way your water tastes or looks (discolored or smelly water is never a good sign) get in touch with your buildings superintendent with your concerns.

A great many apartment buildings in the country are older and have ancient water systems, some even still using lead pipes. The water that comes out the tap end of the system is only as good as the pipes it flows through and so if the pipes are old it is probably a pretty safe bet that they are dangerously contaminated and its only a matter of time before the diseases are passed along through the pipes.

It is important that you report any water problems quickly to your buildings superintendent so that he will remedy the impending contaminant situation. The longer you wait to have something done about the problem, the more likely, that you will soon start to notice yourself or your family members not feeling well and having trouble staying healthy. It is much easier to fix water supply problems when they are small and caught early on. If left unattended the contamination will only spread and it will grow rapidly, quickly becoming a danger not only to you and your family, but also to every other person who lives in the same building.

You can also find more info on Plumber Contractor and Plumbing Repair. i-plumbing.com is a comprehensive resource to known about plumbing.

posted by 83212  # 2:08 PM 0 comments

Hey, look under the hood!

Its a bird!

Its a plane!

Its SUPERCHIP!

With apologies to superman, performance computer chips or superchips are quickly becoming a popular way for auto enthusiasts to squeeze out more power from their cars. Basically what a superchip mod does is to store a new engine management program in your cars computer. Noticeable increases in horsepower and torque as well as improvements in driveability are the chief benefits of this type of chip. installation is easy and the price is right...well examine just how easy and cost effective a superchip is below.

Depending on the make/model of your car or truck, a superchip can help your vehicle crank out from 9 to 60 more horsepower. Not too shabby when you consider some compact cars barely make it to 115 horses. Yeah, you could have elected for the more powerful engine with some cars but the $1000 or better mark up in price dwarfs the price of a superchip. Better to go with the superchip and pocket the savings.

So, how hard is it to install a superchip? Actually, it is really a simple procedure:

1. Locate your cars computer chip [usually found in your dashboard].

2. remove the factory installed chip and replace it with the superchip...one chip slides out and the other slides in.

3. Place a cover over the chip to keep it in place and to keep dirt and dust out.

Thats it! The hardest part will be to remove the dash, but even that job isnt all that difficult.

As I said previously, the price of installing a superchip can be done for a lot less than an engine upgrade. prices start below $300, so it ends up being one the cheaper performance enhancing mods out there.

You can also find other types of performance computer chips that will work well including Jet Chips and the Hypertech performance chip. With either chip you stand to wring out additional performance from your car for a reasonably priced mod. Hey, if it is increased performance you want then one of these chips is for you!

posted by 83212  # 5:18 AM 0 comments